The term "electrophotographic printer" is used hereafter to refer generically to electrostatographic copiers and printers, unless otherwise indicated by context.
The term "digital disc" is used herein to refer generically to an article of digital storage media that takes the form of a thin and rigid disc of unitary structure. A digital disc has a surface, referred to herein as the "face", available for display of printed information. Information stored on a digital disc is generally in optically readable form; however, magnetic storage is not excluded.
Digital discs are finding increasing use in the high density storage of digital information, such as digitized music, digitized photographs, and computer programs. At present, three principal types of digital discs are in common use. The first type, referred to as a CD or ROM (read only memory) disc, is manufactured by pressing depressions into a substrate, in a manner analogous to the manufacture of phonograph records. A second type of digital disc, referred to as a writable optical storage disc, has the capability of having information recorded (written) thereon at some time after fabrication of the medium. A third type, referred to as an erasable disc, can also have information added after fabrication, but that information can be erased or modified at a later time.
A digital disc has a substrate overlaid with a layer that stores the digital information. The substrate is transparent to the radiation used to read the disc. Overlying the storage layer is a protective layer. The surface of the protective layer, also referred to as the "face" or "face", commonly bears printed information. U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,337 teaches a method for printing the face of a digital disc using an ink jet printer. Alternative methods or printing, including solid-ink printing, thermal-transfer technology, dye-diffusion methods, and color laser printing are mentioned in relation to an article in the periodical "Computer Design". U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,187 teaches the use of a felt tip pen or the like to mark the face of a compact disc.
Digital discs are most often marketed with one or more pieces of human readable printed material. For convenience, the term "information package" is used herein to refer to the information included for the user, in a digital disc of whatever type, along with the information printed on the accompanying printed media. Commonly, a digital disc is marketed in a plastic storage box, commonly referred to as a "jewel box". A jewel box, typically has a transparent base that includes a folded sheet of informational printed media, referred to herein as a "backplate", covered by an insert (commonly opaque) that grips the digital disc. A transparent cover is hinged to the base. A booklet having one or more sheets of folded printed media, referred to herein as an "insert booklet", is commonly held by the cover. U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,812 teaches a printed, folded paperboard alternative to a jewel box.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,050 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,620 teach apparatus and methods for assembling digital discs and literature into jewel boxes or the like.
The above methods have the shortcoming that the printing of a digital disc and its accompanying literature are not produced by the same printer at the same time. This presents a problem if it is desired to match the colors of pictorial copy on both the receiving surface of a digital disc and on accompanying literature, particularly if it is impractical to proof the color match before a product run. A particular situation in which it is impractical to proof colors is the preparation of individual digital disc information packages on demand.
It would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for preparing a digital disc-literature assembly in which the image for a digital disc and its accompanying literature are printed simultaneously.